Police in Britain have confirmed they are investigating whether
Aleksandr Litvinenko, who is a former officer in the Russian Federal
Security Service (FSB), the successor to the KGB, was poisoned in
London recently, British media reported on November 20. Litvinenko, who
defected to Britain in 2001, says he fell ill on November 1 while
researching the recent killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna
Politkovskaya (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 16, 2006). Doctors have
since found that he has been poisoned by thallium -- a tasteless toxin
found in rat poison -- that he ingested under circumstances that remain
unclear. Doctors say that Litvinenko is severely ill and has only a 50
percent chance of surviving. He is under constant police guard. British
media reports suggest that he is one of the highest-profile FSB
defectors and is reportedly on a wanted list in Moscow, where he has
made powerful enemies with his tough criticism of President Vladimir
Putin. In 2002 Litvinenko co-authored a book entitled "Blowing Up
Russia: Terror From Within," in which he alleged that the FSB
coordinated some 1999 apartment building bombings in Russia. About 300
people died in the blasts, which the authorities blamed on Chechen
rebels. PM

British media on November 20 drew comparisons between the apparent
poisoning of FSB defector Litvinenko and the poisonings of others who
have fallen out of favor with Russian or East European governments over
the years. "The Times" recalled the 1978 "umbrella murder" in London of
Bulgarian journalist Georgi Markov, who was killed with a rare poison
implanted from the tip of an umbrella, and that paper's own role in
investigating the case. Several British dailies recalled the apparent
attempts in 2004 to poison journalist Politkovskaya, and also Ukraine's
then-opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko during his presidential
campaign. Litvinenko himself told "The New York Times" in 2004 that
"the view inside [the FSB] was that poison is just another weapon, like
a pistol." "The Independent" wrote on November 20 that "there is no
evidence that President...Putin is personally complicit in the
tragedies that sometimes befall his enemies, but vocal opponents of his
policies do have a habit of being caught up in often extreme 'personal
difficulties.'" The paper added that "Putin's critics tend always to
see the dead hand of the Kremlin, while the Russian government writes
such complaints off as anti-Russian conspiracy theories." On November
19, RIA Novosti reported basic facts about the Litvinenko incident on
the basis of British newspaper articles, as did "Nezavisimaya gazeta"
on November 20. PM

Oleg Gordiyevsky, who is the most senior KGB agent to defect to
Britain, was quoted by "The Times" on November 20 as saying that the
apparent attempt to kill FSB defector Litvinenko was "state-sponsored."
Gordiyevsky argued that "of course it was state-sponsored. [Litvinenko]
was such an obvious enemy. Only the KGB is able to do this. The poison
was very sophisticated. They have done this before." The Chechen
website chechenpress.org on November 20 quoted London-based Chechen
Republic Ichkeria Foreign Minister Akhmed Zakayev as having accused the
FSB outright in an interview with Sky News television of poisoning
Litvinenko. Zakayev termed the poisoning "a terrorist attack on a
British subject on British soil," and attributed it to the West's
collective disinclination to condemn the Putin regime's policies. PM/LF

On November 19, President Putin thanked his U.S. counterpart George W.
Bush on margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit
in Hanoi for the conclusion of a bilateral trade deal, which will pave
the way for Russian admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO),
Russian and international media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
November 13 and 16, 2006). Putin added that the deal would not have
been possible without Bush's political will. The pact was signed by
German Gref, who is Russia's minister of economic development and
trade, and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab. Russia is the
world's only major economy still outside the WTO. Bush said the trade
deal is good both for Russia and the United States. He said he also
discussed with Putin how to resolve a number of international problems,
such as the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea. Referring to the
trade pact, Gref said on November 18 that in WTO talks with the United
States, his country "managed to obtain the level of tariffs [it wanted]
on all positions that were of principle to us," RIA Novosti reported.
The news agency noted that Russia still must sign bilateral trade deals
with Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Moldova as further steps
toward WTO membership. Russia must also renegotiate an earlier
agreement with Georgia, which has withdrawn its signature in response
to Russian sanctions, including a blockade, imposed on Georgia in early
October. PM

Economic Development and Trade Minister Gref said in Hanoi on November
19 that subsidiaries of foreign banks will be barred from Russia, but
"100 percent companies are permitted to operate on the Russian market
with a 50 percent stake in combined banking capital," ITAR-TASS
reported. He also said that Russia will open the market for
subsidiaries of foreign insurance companies, but only after a nine-year
transition period. In addition, Gref said Russia hopes to join the WTO
by mid-2007. PM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Hanoi on November 19
that President Bush told President Putin that the United States has
lifted the sanctions it imposed on the Russian aircraft manufacturer
Sukhoi for alleged violations of the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000,
news.ru reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 25 and 27, and
October 17 and 18, 2006, and "RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly," August
11, 2006). Lavrov added that he hopes that similar sanctions against
Russia's main arms exporter, Rosoboroneksport, will also be dropped. PM

The State Duma voted on November 17 to approve a measure in its third
and final reading to eliminate the requirement for a minimum 20 percent
voter turnout for an election to the State Duma and a 50 percent
turnout for a presidential vote for an election to be valid, Russian
media reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 14 and 15, 2006).
President Putin must now sign the bill for it to become law. "The
Moscow Times" wrote on November 20 that "the turnout bill passes [as]
the opposition seethes." Several opposition leaders have argued that
the bill will further marginalize their parties and deprive citizens of
the opportunity to express their will by boycotting elections.
Pro-Kremlin politicians say that the legislation brings Russian law
into line with that of many established democracies. PM

At a meeting on November 17 with top officials of the pro-Kremlin
Unified Russia party, President Putin said that "there is no place for
extremism on the Russian political scene," news agencies reported. He
added that "otherwise we will simply not preserve the unity of our
country. The use of any elements of extremism is absolutely
unacceptable in legal political activity." Unified Russia leader and
State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov argued that "we see that the programs
of parties running in regional elections often contain what can be
classified as extremist slogans, and so we would like all parties to
come to the common conclusion and understanding that it is unacceptable
to play with extremism." Putin signed legislation on July 28 aimed at
combating extremism (see "RFE/RL Newsline," June 8 and 26, and July 13
and 31, 2006). Supporters say that the new law is necessary to combat
the racism and xenophobia that have contributed to a rise in hate
crimes in recent years. Critics charge that it is part of a Kremlin
campaign to stifle the opposition in the run-up to the 2007 elections
for the State Duma and the presidential vote in 2008. PM

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov signed a decree on November 16
establishing a Public Council as a consultative body to deal with a
wide variety of problems affecting the army and navy, ITAR-TASS
reported. On November 19, he said that the measure is long overdue and
promises to be effective, news.ru reported. Critics charge, however,
that the social and other problems within the military require much
more than the setting up of a new administrative body. The issue of
hazing in the military has been in the forefront of media attention in
2006, following a particularly gruesome incident at the start of the
year (see "RFE/RL Newsline," March 29, August 4, and October 13 and 24,
2006). PM

"The Moscow Times" reported on November 20 that the authorities are
investigating a case in which an unnamed drunken air force major
allegedly beat conscript Yevgeny Ovechkin near Yekaterinburg in March
and ordered three other soldiers to bury him alive. An unnamed civilian
allegedly witnessed the incident, dug Ovechkin out, and sheltered him
for several weeks. The conscript then reportedly went home to Ufa, told
his mother what had happened, and went into hiding. The air force is
investigating the incident. Ovechkin has been officially listed as a
deserter since March. PM

The Russian publishers of Soviet-era dissident writer and winner of the
Nobel Prize for literature Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn announced on November
16 that his complete works will be published for the first time in his
native Russia, Russian media reported. Solzhenitsyn's wife, Natalia,
presented the first of 30 volumes to reporters. The complete works are
due to be published by 2010. The first edition of Solzhenitsyn's
complete works, in 20 volumes, was published in the West in the 1980s
and early 1990s. PM

Leading sociologist and pollster Yury Levada died in his office on
November 16 aged 76 of an apparent heart attack, Russian media
reported. Levada was one of the founders of the All-Russian Public
Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) in 1987. He served as its general
director until he clashed with the authorities in 2003, resigned, and
founded the Levada Center with some colleagues (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 27, 2006). PM

Nikolai Gerasimenko, who heads the Russian State Duma's Health and
Sports Committee, said in Moscow on November 16 that people in the
Russian Federation smoke 375 billion cigarettes annually, ITAR-TASS
reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," February 10 and March 23, 2006). He
added that 60 percent of all men and 15 percent of women smoke,
including 48 percent of pregnant women. PM

[14] INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WARNS RUSSIA AGAINST RESORTING TO 'ENERGY
WEAPON'

Jean Lemierre, who is president of the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development, was quoted on November 17 by Caucasus Press as
expressing concern at the possibility that Russia may use its energy
resources to pressure neighboring states. Lemierre specifically
referred to the recent announcement by Gazprom that as of 2007 it will
more than double, from $110 to $230 per 1,000 cubic meters, the price
it charges Georgia for natural gas (see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 2,
3, and 6, 2006). Speaking in Washington on November 16, U.S. Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza condemned Gazprom's policy
towards Georgia as "predatory and aggressive," Caucasus Press reported.
On November 18, Caucasus Press quoted Finnish Finance Minister Eero
Heinaluoma as warning that the EU, of which Finland is the current
president, is closely monitoring Moscow's actions as it should not use
energy resources as a "political weapon." LF

Movladi Baysarov, commander of the Gorets (Mountaineer) unit, most of
whose personnel surrendered last week to the pro-Moscow Chechen
authorities (see "RFE/RL Newsline," September 26 and November 8, 13,
and 16, 2006), was gunned down in the street in Moscow on November 18,
Russian media reported. The circumstances of his killing, in particular
whether the killers were Chechens loyal to Prime Minister Ramzan
Kadyrov or Moscow Interior Ministry personnel, or both, remain unclear.
Quoting unnamed eyewitnesses, the daily "Kommersant" on November 20
reported that a group of Chechens opened fire on Baysarov as he got out
of his car on Lenin Prospekt; regnum.ru on November 19 reported that
Chechen and Moscow Interior Ministry personnel killed Baysarov as he
resisted arrest and tried to throw a hand grenade at a police officer.
"Kommersant" further reported that Baysarov was carrying a "large sum"
in cash and documentation identifying him as a lieutenant colonel in
the Federal Security Service (FSB), and that some Gorets members did
not surrender to the Chechen authorities and remain blockaded in their
headquarters on the outskirts of Grozny. LF

In a statement released by his press service on November 17, Raamzan
Kadyrov criticized the detention two days earlier of Sultan Isakov,
head of the government agency tasked with allocating financial
compensation to Chechens whose property was destroyed in the fighting
of the past decade, regnum.ru reported. The daily "Kommersant" reported
on November 16 that Isakov was detained on November 15 after having
demanded a kickback of 140,000 rubles ($5,265) from a total of 350,000
rubles to which an unnamed Grozny resident was entitled. Kadyrov
alleged that the man in question is a resident of Urus Martan and that
he offered Isakov a bribe, which Isakov refused, in return for Isakov's
assistance in obtaining compensation to which he was not entitled.
Kadyrov, who has repeatedly called for a crackdown on irregularities in
the payment of financial compensation, alleged that Isakov's detention
in the absence of any preliminary investigation was specifically
engineered in order to undermine the authority of the pro-Moscow
Chechen leadership. LF

Bagaudin Tsoloyev submitted his resignation on November 4 to
Ingushetian President Murat Zyazikov to protest widespread official
corruption and incompetence, the independent website ingushetiya.ru
reported on November 18. Two days later, the same website reported that
Tsoloyev's duties were systematically reduced after he delivered a
report in March at a meeting in Rostov-na-Donu convened by presidential
envoy to the Southern Federal District Dmitry Kozak. In that report,
which ingushetiya.ru reposted, Tsoloyev criticized the failure of
Ingushetia's law-enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrators of
several high-profile killings. He further noted that 76 of more than
200 residents of Ingushetia abducted over the past few years have still
not been found and released. In the same report, Tsoloyev also slammed
what he implied is the deliberate sabotage by the North Ossetian
authorities of a program unveiled by Kozak last year intended to
expedite the return to their homes of some 18,000 Ingush forced to flee
North Ossetia's Prigorodny Raion during the interethnic violence of
October-November 1992. In retaliation for those criticisms, Tsoloyev
was stripped of responsibility for coordinating with North Ossetia the
return of the Ingush displaced persons, 73 of whom signed an appeal to
Zyazikov in July (reproduced by ingushetiya.ru on November 18) asking
that he be reinstated in that capacity. LF

Galust Sahakian, who heads the parliamentary faction of Prime Minister
Andranik Markarian's Republican Party of Armenia, told journalists on
November 17 that it is time the Armenian government took "serious
steps" in response to the ongoing wave of killings of Armenians in the
Russian Federation, Noyan Tapan reported. A 15-year-old Armenian boy
was beaten and stabbed to death in Moscow Oblast on November 11, the
most recent of some 3,000 Armenians killed in Russia over the past
decade, RFE/RL's Armenian Service quoted human rights activist Izabela
Sarkisian as saying on November 17. Heghine Bisharian of the opposition
Orinats Yerkir (Law-Based State) party argued on November 17 that the
Armenian authorities are partly to blame for the wave of killings
insofar as they have not created favorable economic conditions in
Armenia that would persuade Armenians who emigrated to Russia in search
of employment to return, Noyan Tapan reported. Also on November 17, a
group of young Armenians picketed the Armenian Foreign Ministry in
Yerevan to denounce what they termed the Armenian leadership's failure
to pressure the Russian authorities over the killings, RFE/RL's
Armenian Service reported. LF

Irakli Okruashvili submitted to Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli on
November 17 his resignation from the post of economy minister to which
he was named one week earlier, Caucasus Press reported (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 13, 2006). Noghaideli told journalists
Okruashvili's resignation was "unexpected," but did not give any
explanation for it. But former Conflict Resolution Minister Giorgi
Khaindrava commented on November 18 that Okruashvili disagreed with
President Mikheil Saakashvili over unspecified policy issues.
Khaindrava predicted that Okruashvili may join the opposition to
Saakashvili, as did the daily "Khronika" on November 20, noting that
Okruashvili's high popularity rating makes him a prime candidate for
opposition leader. Opposition Republican party leader David
Berdzenishvili for his part was quoted by "Khronika" as pointing out
that Okruashvili's resignation demolished the impression that the
Georgian leadership constitutes a unified and cohesive team. LF

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza traveled on
November 18 from Tbilisi to Sukhum (Sukhumi), where he met with Sergei
Shamba, foreign minister of the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia, and
Stanislav Lakoba, who heads the Abkhaz Security Council, apsny.ru
reported on November 19. Referring to Shamba as "my friend," Bryza told
journalists after the talks that he hopes for a resumption of official
talks between Abkhaz and Georgian officials, and he stressed that
"there are leaders in Georgia who would like to make contact with the
Abkhaz leadership." Abkhazia suspended its participation in those talks
following an incursion by Georgian forces into the Kodori Gorge in late
July, and on November 17, Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh named in
Moscow as preconditions for further talks an expression by Georgia of
its willingness to sign a formal pledge of nonaggression and the
withdrawal from Kodori of the so-called Abkhaz government in exile,
which comprises former Georgian residents of Abkhazia. Lakoba told
journalists that he and Shamba discussed with Bryza unspecified ways of
reaching a compromise that would be acceptable to both Tbilisi and
Sukhum. Lakoba also said he told Bryza in response to the latter's
question that it is too early to say whether the replacement of
Okruashvili -- whom the Abkhaz suspected of planning a new war -- as
defense minister is merely a tactical move or reflects a "serious
change" in the Georgian position. LF

The presidents of Azerbaijan (Ilham Aliyev), Kazakhstan (Nursultan
Nazarbaev), and Kyrgyzstan (Kurmanbek Bakiev) attended the eighth
summit of Turkic-speaking states, which took place in Antalya on
November 17 and was hosted by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer,
zaman.com reported. Uzbekistan did not send a representative to the
summit, while Turkmenistan was represented by its ambassador to Turkey,
Nurberdi Amanmuradov. Analyst Iskandar Khudoyberganov told RFE/RL's
Uzbek Service that Uzbek President Islam Karimov decided to skip the
summit to protest Turkey's support for democratic development and
closer ties with Europe, the service reported on November 19. An
analytical comment on uzmetronom.com by Uktam Boshmirzoev suggested,
however, that the Uzbek cold shoulder was a response to Turkey's
sheltering of the opposition Erk Party, which is banned in Uzbekistan.
Nazarbaev noted at the summit that there are no "insoluble problems"
among Turkic countries, but he stressed the need to expand economic
cooperation, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. Aliyev expressed support for
Turkey's aspirations to join the EU and "concern" at the pressure being
exerted on Turkey in that regard, day.az reported. He also termed
"estimable" Kazakhstan's intention to join the Kars-Akhalkalaki
Tbilisi-Baku railway project that will provide a direct link between
Turkey and Azerbaijan. DK/LF

Kazakh President Nazarbaev met with Liu Qi, secretary of the Beijing
Party Committee, in Astana on November 16 to discuss bilateral
relations as Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Karim Masimov began a two-day
visit to China, Xinhua and Khabar reported. Liu, who arrived at the
invitation of Kazakhstan's pro-presidential Otan Party, commented,
"It's very nice for me to visit your beautiful country at Otan's
invitation," Khabar reported. "The goal of the visit is to deepen
cooperation and mutual understanding between our countries." In
Beijing, Masimov headed a Kazakh delegation that included Finance
Minister Natalya Korzhova, Transport and Communications Minister Serik
Akhmetov, and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Baktykozha
Izmukhambetov, Kazinform reported. DK

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Masimov and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi
chaired the third meeting of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee
in Beijing on November 17, Xinhua reported. Participants signed a
number of interagency cooperation accords and hailed the fruitful
development of cooperation between the two countries, "Kazakhstan
Today" reported. DK

Kazakh Energy Minister Izmukhambetov said in televised remarks on
November 17 that China must not be allowed to acquire a
Canadian-registered company that owns oil assets in Kazakhstan, AP
reported. "We must take extreme measures to stop the agreement on the
Karazhanbas [oil field]," Izmukhambetov said. China's International
Trust & Investment Corporation (Citic) recently announced plans to
acquire Nations Energy for nearly $2 billion (see "RFE/RL Newsline,"
October 27, 2006). According to the company's website, Nations Energy
acquired the rights to Karazhanbas in 1997, and the field has proven
reserves of more than 340 million barrels, according to AP. DK

Police in the Kazakh city of Stepnogorsk have arrested 11 people
suspected of membership in a terrorist group, Interfax-Kazakhstan
reported on November 16, quoting Stepnogorsk prosecutor Sergei Kim. Kim
told the news agency that a man in Akmola province, where Stepnogorsk
is located, "formed a terrorist group of Wahhabi radicals with the goal
of forming an Islamic caliphate on the territory of Kazakhstan and
subverting the territorial integrity and security of this country." The
report did not specify whether the detained persons were linked to any
known terrorist groups. DK

The Kyrgyz rights group Citizens Against Corruption has appealed to
prosecutors to halt the prosecution of members of the For Reforms
opposition movement, akipress.org reported on November 16. The appeal
mentioned, among others, Edil Baisalov, head of the NGO coalition For
Democracy and Civil Society; Almaz Atambaev, head of the Social
Democratic Party; and former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva. A
criminal case was opened after Prime Minister Feliks Kulov read
excerpts from the transcript of a tape recording that allegedly implied
that For Reforms members were plotting to seize power (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 6 and 7, 2006). The appeal asked prosecutors to
close the case in light of a recent compromise between the opposition
and President Bakiev that allowed the passage of a new constitution
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," November 9 and 10, 2006). DK

Kumtor Gold Company, which operates Kyrgyzstan's Kumtor gold mine, has
released a statement disputing allegations by Kyrgyz Economy and
Finance Minister Akilbek Japarov that it has stopped paying taxes,
24.kg reported on November 16. The news agency noted that Japarov told
a cabinet meeting on November 15 that "in the last two or three months,
[Kumtor] has entirely stopped paying taxes." The company noted that its
November 10 statement covering the first three quarters of 2006
indicated tax payments of 979 million soms ($25 million) to the Kyrgyz
budget. The company also pointed out that its October payments to fund
social services, pensions, and other programs came to more than 75
million soms. Kumtor is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Canadian-registered Centerra Gold. DK

Recently reelected President Imomali Rakhmonov delivered his
inauguration address to a joint session of Tajikistan's parliament on
November 18, Tajik television's First Channel reported. Rakhmonov
pledged to make Tajikistan one of the "key exporters of electricity in
Asia, cooperation with developed countries and major international
financial institutions will be stepped up, and a series of small and
big hydroelectric power stations and high-voltage lines for
transmitting power abroad will be built." Rakhmonov said that in
foreign policy "we will continue beneficial cooperation contacts with
the Russian Federation within the framework of our strategic
partnership" while developing relations with China and expanding
cooperation with the United States. DK

Inflation in consumer prices totaled 9.8 percent in Tajikistan for the
first nine months of 2006, Asia Plus-Blitz reported on November 16.
Prices for food products rose 10.1 percent, nonfood products 4.2
percent, and services to the population 19 percent. Inflation in 2005
came to 7.1 percent, the report noted. DK

The press service of Tajikistan's Border Protection Committee announced
on November 17 that an Uzbek border guard was shot and killed by Tajik
border guards when a detachment of Uzbek servicemen allegedly crossed
over into Tajikistan and ignored warning shots, Avesta reported. The
statement said that the Tajik side expressed its regrets and offered
condolences to the Uzbek border guard's family. A report in
Uzbekistan's gazeta.ru on November 18 identified the dead border guard
as Asadullo Ergashev and suggested that his death resulted from
unjustified actions by Tajik border guards and unidentified
"ill-wishers on the other side of the border." DK

An Uzbek court has sentenced five people to prison terms ranging from
15 to 20 years for spying on behalf of neighboring Tajikistan, RIA
Novosti reported on November 17. The defendants, three women and two
men, were found guilty of collecting information about Uzbek military
forces deployed near the country's border. "One of the convicted women
had a particular interest in opposition activists, and in the work of
religious and extremist groups in the country," the report quoted a
court spokesman as saying. Tit-for-tat spying allegations and
prosecutions have marred Tajik-Uzbek relations in recent months. DK

A criminal court in Tashkent has sentenced Komiljon Usmonov to a
10-year prison term for his role as the alleged leader of the Tashkent
branch of the banned extremist movement Hizb ut-Tahrir, RFE/RL's Uzbek
Service reported on November 16. Human rights activist Surat Ikromov,
who took part in the trial, told RFE/RL that the judge refused to act
on statements by Usmonov and witnesses that their testimony was
obtained under torture. Usmonov was earlier sentenced to 10 years in
prison for attempting to undermine Uzbekistan's constitutional order,
but he was released under an amnesty. Usmonov's lawyers said that they
plan to appeal his latest sentence. DK

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on November 17 that
Belarus should buy natural gas at Russia's domestic price, Belapan and
Reuters reported. "The essence of our policy is that both Belarusians
and Russians are one people and that means that conditions also should
be equal," Lukashenka said while visiting the Belshyna tire factory in
Babruysk. Lukashenka said Minsk will demand compensation from Moscow
for transit rights and the use of military facilities in Belarus if gas
prices go up sharply in 2007. "We must propose a compensation table and
propose that Russia compensate us for losses. Let them pay for what
once might have been free," he added. Meanwhile, Russian lawmaker
Valery Yazov, head of the State Duma's Committee on Energy, Transport,
and Communications, said the same day that Gazprom intends to increase
the gas price for Belarus from $47 to $230 per 1,000 cubic meters, that
is, to the level currently charged by RosUkrEnergo, which supplies a
mix of Russian-Turkmen gas to Ukraine. JM

Belposhta, Belarus's state postal service that holds a monopoly over
the distribution of subscription periodicals, has denied distribution
in the first six months of 2007 to major nationwide independent
newspapers and many local independent newspapers, Belapan reported on
November 17, quoting Zoya Mardas from the Belarusian Association of
Journalists. In particular, Belposhta rejected the nationwide
newspapers "Narodnya volya," "Nasha Niva," "Tovarishch," and "Svobodnye
novosti plus," as well as the local newspapers "Brestsky kurer,"
"Vitebsky kurer," "Borisovskie novosti," "Gazeta slonimskaya," "Volnaye
Hlybokaye," "Hantsavitski chas," and "Myastsovy chas." "To requests by
the publications to enter them in the Belposhta subscription catalogue,
the Belposhta management's stereotyped answer was: 'Since the law does
not oblige the organization to include a periodical in its catalogue,
it is the right of Belposhta to choose publications for the
catalogue,'" Mardas said. JM

Viktor Yushchenko said on November 17 that UkrGazEnergo, a company
created by RusUkrEnergo and Naftohaz Ukrayiny to sell imported gas to
consumers in Ukraine, has posed a "threat to national security" by
refusing to supply gas to 16 major industrial enterprises in the
country, Interfax-Ukraine reported, quoting the presidential press
service. Yushchenko ordered that the Antimonopoly Committee investigate
the case and to find out if UkrGazEnergo has violated antimonopoly
legislation. The "Financial Times" on November 18 quoted Ukrainian
energy analyst Volodymyr Saprykin as saying that UkrGazEnergo is being
used as an instrument to put pressure on Ukrainian industrial giants in
order to compel them "to fall under the ownership of Russian companies,
possibly even Gazprom affiliates." JM

President Yushchenko said at a meeting of the National Security and
Defense Council (RNBO) in Kyiv on November 17 that the housing and
utilities sector in Ukraine is in a profound crisis and this poses a
threat to national security, Interfax-Ukraine reported. "The technical
state of major assets of housing companies is critical; the efficiency
of technological processes in the sector is still low; it is
traditionally unprofitable and the process to liberalize utility
tariffs is very politicized," Yushchenko said. "In fact, the state is a
monopolistic owner of the services. It limits options that business
people can offer more efficiently," he added. According to the
"Ukrayinska pravda" website (http://www.pravda.com.ua), Prime Minister
Viktor Yanukovych and parliament speaker Oleksandr Moroz quit the RNBO
meeting to protest what they reportedly saw as the president's meddling
with the cabinet's prerogatives. JM

President Yushchenko told journalists in Kyiv on November 17 that he
will veto the bill on the Cabinet of Ministers that was passed in the
first reading by the Verkhovna Rada the previous day, Interfax-Ukraine
reported. The endorsed bill was drafted by experts from the Cabinet of
Ministers. Two other bills on the Cabinet of Ministers, one authored by
the president and the other by a group of lawmakers, have also been
submitted to parliament. "When we are speaking about the discussion and
passing of the bill on the Cabinet of Ministers, both the government
and the Verkhovna Rada went about it the wrong way, I believe,"
Yushchenko said, adding that the issue should be agreed by the
government, the president, and the legislature within a working group
consisting of representatives of each branch of power. Yushchenko added
that any attempt to pass this bill "unilaterally" has no prospects. JM

Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia
(NS) announced on November 19 that they will form an electoral
coalition, B92 and Beta reported the same day. The coalition will be
listed on the ballot for the January 21 elections as "DSS-NS- Vojislav
Kostunica." Among the NS candidates on the electoral list will be
members of United Serbia and the Serbian Democratic Renewal Movement.
Kostunica said the coalition will run a positive campaign. "Our program
for the years to come is not a collection of wishful thinking and empty
promises," he said. "We make no promises, we make announcements about
what we're going to do." Kostunica concluded his address by saying,
"Long live Serbia," and added that the phrase will be repeated at every
campaign rally. BW

Also on November 19, Prime Minister Kostunica defended the outgoing
DSS-led government's performance. "When it comes to state and national
problems, we always sought to reach a consensus," he said. "We tried to
appreciate the opposition's position on issues and to never come across
as an arrogant or intolerant government. We consistently chose to stay
away from heavy words and unfounded accusations in our political
struggle," he added. BW

Joachim Ruecker, the head of the United Nations Mission in Kosova
(UNMIK), said on November 19 that the UNMIK should be out of Kosova by
the end of next year, B92 reported the same day. "I think the UNMIK
will stay here for one more year. I don't think that we will be here in
November 2007," he said. The UNMIK is to be replaced by an enlarged EU
mission after Kosova's status is decided. Calling a status solution for
Kosova the "last piece of the Balkan puzzle," Ruecker said the final
solution should be "something that should be acceptable to both sides."
He added, however, that there is a need to maintain momentum in
reaching a settlement. "It's like riding a bike. You have to keep
peddling. If you stop peddling, you're in danger of falling," he said.
"If hope turns into disappointment, it is hard to control the margin of
society, in all the world, not just in Kosovo." BW

Citing unidentified diplomatic sources, Reuters reported on November 16
that Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina will not receive
invitations to join NATO's Partnership for Peace program this year. The
three countries hoped to secure invitations at the NATO summit in Riga,
Latvia, on November 28-29. "I don't think Riga will be the occasion for
a decision," one unidentified NATO ambassador said. "There won't be any
new moves." The delay is the result of concerns about war crimes
fugitives still at large and uncertainty about Serbia's political
future. Officials quoted by Reuters also said there is not sufficient
time to forge a consensus among NATO members before the summit, which
will take place before Serbia holds crucial elections on January 21.
"There are two weeks of drafting still, but the debate is quite lively
in a number of capitals and it would be surprising if a consensus
emerged in time for Riga," a NATO official said. "It's the question of
conditionality, and it's the question of timing in the context of the
Serb elections." BW

A court in Montenegro on November 17 awarded compensation to the family
of a Bosnian Muslim who was deported to Bosnian Serb custody during the
1992-95 war and later killed, B92 and AP reported the same day. The
wife and four children of Izet Tufekcic, from the eastern Bosnian town
of Visegrad, were awarded a total of 120,000 euros ($150,000) for the
"death of a close family member," the family's lawyer, Dragan Prelevic,
said. It was the latest verdict awarded in a series of cases related to
the 1992 deportation of 34 Bosnian Muslims. After being forced back
across the border into Serbian-held territory in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 28
of them were executed. BW

International mediators have urged Moldova and the separatist
Transdniester region to restart direct talks, RIA Novosti reported on
November 17, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry. The mediators in the
dispute -- the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States --
met in Brussels on November 16 in an attempt to revive negotiations.
"Representatives of the mediators and observers expressed a shared
opinion that specific steps need to be taken to revive direct contacts
between Chisinau and Tiraspol, which would help find practical
solutions to the unresolved problems hindering their relations," the
Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The talks were suspended
earlier this year when Moldova and Ukraine implemented a new customs
regime on the Transdniester section of their border. Transdniestrian
officials called the new rules an economic blockade (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," January 23, 25, and February 3, 2006). BW

U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged on November 19 to keep British
troops in Afghanistan to battle Taliban insurgents as part of the
ongoing war on terror, AP reported. "This terrorism that we are facing,
of which one manifestation is what has happened in Afghanistan, has
been a long time going and will take a long time to defeat," Blair
said. He warned that the battle against extremism will fail without
additional support from moderate political and religious influences
against the forces of terrorism. Blair was speaking at a joint press
conference with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Lahore,
Pakistan, during his third trip to that country. The two men issued a
joint statement pledging to work together to diminish the violence in
Afghanistan through military force, economic reconstruction and the
elimination of drug trafficking. RR

President Musharraf called during his meeting with Prime Minister Blair
on November 19 for a multibillion-dollar economic-aid effort in
Afghanistan to help provide stability and defeat the Taliban
insurgency, AP reported. Musharraf focused on the need to provide
economic support to southeastern Afghanistan, a stronghold of Taliban
militancy. "I believe there is a requirement for a massive inflow of
development funds there -- some kind of Marshall Plan for billions of
dollars to be put in," Musharraf said. U.K. officials noted that their
country pledged $10.5 billion in Afghan aid at a donors' conference in
January, but the lack of infrastructure in Afghanistan has hindered the
ability to spend the money. RR

The Afghan National Army (ANA) is planning to increase its offensive
operations against the Taliban this winter, according to Douglas Pritt,
the U.S. general responsible for the U.S.-led effort to train the
Afghan military, AP reported on November 19. Pritt said the Afghan army
has tripled its number of forward bases to 60 and expects them to spend
the winter harassing the Taliban insurgents and engaging in
intelligence-gathering operations. This could lead to heavy fighting
during a time of year that is traditionally used by Afghan soldiers to
return home to their families, hunker down, and resupply themselves.
Pritt believes the Afghan army, supported by U.S. and NATO airlifts, is
better suited to dealing with harsh winter conditions than the Taliban.
"I'm hoping for a lot of snow this winter," Pritt said. RR

Mansur Osanlu, head of the Tehran bus drivers syndicate, was detained
by plainclothes security personnel on November 19, ISNA and ILNA
reported. Ebrahim Madadi, deputy head of the syndicate, told Radio
Farda that he was with Osanlu when they stopped to buy a newspaper at
around 9 a.m. Intelligence and Security Ministry personnel detained
Osanlu, according to Madadi, and one of them pulled out a handgun when
Osanlu's companions objected. Madadi said the security officer fired
his weapon into the air to get the crowd to disperse. Madadi added that
Osanlu had received a summons the previous day to appear in court on
November 20. Osanlu was arrested in December 2005 and held for
approximately eight months (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," January 9, 2006).
BS

Jalal Jalalizadeh, who represented the predominantly Kurdish city of
Sanandaj in the Iranian parliament from 2000 to 2004, said on November
19 that Sunni Muslims in Tehran have not been allowed to hold
congregational prayers for two weeks, ILNA reported. Jalalizadeh noted
the absence of a Sunni mosque in Tehran and explained that Sunnis
therefore gathered at the Pakistani Embassy's school. "But, as of two
weeks ago, as a result of the pressures exerted on the embassy, they
closed the school and moved it elsewhere, where it is not possible to
hold the prayers," Jalalizadeh said. Given the lack of options, Sunnis
gathered in Mellat Park to pray on November 17. Police and plainclothes
agents broke up the crowd. Some 9 percent of Iran's population is
Sunni, while 89 percent is Shi'a. Shi'ism is the state religion. BS

[49] GUARDIANS COUNCIL APPROVES LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OF CANDIDATES FOR
NEXT ELECTION

Abbas Ali Kadkhodai, spokesman of the Guardians Council, announced on
November 18 it has approved 145 of the 493 people who registered as
candidates for the December 15 Assembly of Experts elections, state
television reported. The final list of candidates will be announced in
10 days, Kadkhodai continued, after the disqualified individuals have
had the opportunity to appeal. Some 133 people withdrew their
candidacies, he said, and 217 failed to meet the standards for
theocratic knowledge. The reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front on
November 19 condemned the Guardians Council's actions as being
factionally biased, ILNA reported, referring specifically to the
disqualification of Najafqoli Habibi from the parliamentary
by-election. BS

Students gathered outside the Teachers Training College in the city of
Sabzevar on November 19 to protest the reported killing of a student
the previous day, ILNA reported. Tohid Ghafarzadeh, a student at the
city's Islamic Azad University, was stabbed to death by a member of the
student Basij at the Teachers Training College on November 18, Radio
Farda reported. Mustafa Sedaqatju, a former member of the student
union, told Radio Farda that this was not a political incident.
Ghafarzadeh was standing in front of the Teachers Training College
talking to his fiancee when the Basij member inquired about their
relationship. The two argued and Ghafarzadeh was killed. Sedaqatju
noted that the authorities have done nothing about this incident and
have remained silent, but they have been very critical about an event
at the University of California-Los Angeles earlier in the week. In
that incident, 23-year-old Iranian-American Mustafa Tabatabainejad was
tasered by police when he refused to provide his identification or
leave the library, the "Daily Bruin" reported on November 15. A
bystander videotaped Tabatabainejad accusing the police of abusing
their authority while he resisted them. BS

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallim arrived on November 19 on a
historic visit to Baghdad and pledged Damascus's full support for the
elected Iraqi government, international media reported the same day.
During a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, al-Muallim
condemned terrorism and said that Iraq's security is linked to Syria's
own security. "We are making every possible effort in line with our
understanding that Iraq's security is part of Syria's security and we
shall cooperate. We have specific ideas to propose to our brothers in
Iraq to achieve cooperation, including security cooperation and
cross-border cooperation," he said. Al-Muallim also expressed support
for the territorial integrity of Iraq and for the unity of the Iraqi
people, and stressed that "a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign
troops from Iraq will help reduce violence in Iraq and maintain
security." Al-Muallim's visit is the first by a Syrian minister since
the overthrow of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003. SS

According to Iraqi police sources, several gunmen in military uniforms
kidnapped Deputy Health Minister Ammar al-Saffar from his home on
November 19, international media reported the same day. Al-Saffar, who
belongs to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Al-Da'wah Party, was
abducted by six uniformed guards and several men wearing suits from his
home in Baghdad's Al-Amadiyah neighborhood. Dozens of officials, staff,
and visitors in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research were kidnapped in central Baghdad on November 14 (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," November 15, 2006). Jasim Ali, the head of the Health
Ministry's Medical Operations Department, told Al-Iraqiyah television
on November 19 that he blames al-Saffar's abduction on the inability of
the Interior and Defense ministries to secure the area. SS

[53] ...WHILE SEARCH FOR FIVE WESTERN HOSTAGE CONTINUES IN SOUTHERN
IRAQ

Iraqi and coalition forces continued on November 19 to search for five
Westerners kidnapped three days earlier near the Kuwaiti border,
international media reported. Four U.S. citizens and an Austrian
national, working as security guards for the Kuwaiti Crescent Security
Group, were abducted on November 16 while escorting a 49-truck convoy
near the southern Iraqi town of Safwan, 60 kilometers south of
Al-Basrah. Muhammad Ali al-Musawi, the chief of operations for the
Al-Basrah police, said the abductions appear to be the work of
"criminal gangs", AFP reported on November 19. Al-Musawi also rejected
earlier statements made by an Al-Basrah Governorate official that one
of the American hostages has been killed and two other Americans have
been freed by Iraqi police. "If someone says he knows about the
hostages, it is a lie. Nobody knows anything about them at the moment,"
he said. Nine Iraqis were also abducted in the same incident, but
according to the Crescent Security Group, all of them have been
released. SS

An arrest warrant was issued by the Iraqi Interior Ministry on November
16 for Muslim Scholars Association leader Dr. Harith al-Dari for
"inciting terrorism," international media reported on November 17.
Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani issued the arrest order after al-Dari
described insurgent attacks on U.S. forces as "legitimate resistance."
Al-Jazeera satellite television reported on November 18 that
demonstrations against the arrest order broke out across Iraq and
several Sunni leaders criticized it. The Iraqi Islamic Party, Iraq's
largest Sunni Arab party, condemned the warrant, saying the move was
the "mercy bullet" that would finish off Prime Minister al-Maliki's
reconciliation plan, which seeks to bring disaffected Sunnis into the
political process. In an interview with Al-Jazeera on November 19,
al-Dari described the arrest warrant as a fabrication and illegitimate,
and said it was issued because the government needs to blame somebody
for its failure to carry out its responsibilities. "They have not found
a scapegoat or a cover for their criminal deeds and for their failure
in performing their official and government duties, except to fabricate
these minor political battles," he said. SS

Iraqi police said gunmen killed prominent Supreme Council for the
Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) member Ali al-Adhadh and his wife on
November 18 while they were driving in Baghdad, international media
reported on November 19. Police sources said al-Adhadh's killing
appears to have been a sectarian assassination. Sunni Arabs have
accused SCIRI and its armed wing, the Badr Organization, of operating
death squads, as well as being involved in killing members of former
President Saddam Hussein's defense team. Police Colonel and SCIRI
representative Adnan al-Obaidi said that al-Adhadh was a member of the
organization's Shura Council, the central decision-making body of the
party. SS

Sheikh Sattar Abu Rishah, the head of the Al-Anbar Salvation Council,
said on November 17 that several groups linked to Al-Qaeda have been
driven out of Al-Anbar Governorate, the London-based "Al-Hayat"
reported the same day. According to Abu Rishah, forces loyal to the
council have driven out numerous Al-Qaeda-linked groups in several
cities in the governorate, who have in turn fled to Samarra and cities
south of Baghdad. He also said that approximately 100 Iraqis belonging
to Al-Qaeda in Iraq have been captured along with more than 35 Arab
fighters, most of them Syrian. The Al-Anbar Salvation Council is a
coalition of several tribes set up to cleanse the governorate of
Al-Qaeda elements. SS

Following a heated debate, the Verkhovna Rada on November 15 opted to
postpone a decision on the fates of Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk and
Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko.

The two presidential appointees were grilled during the parliamentary
session by lawmakers from the ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister
Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions. They were accused of poor
performance and negligence in office, but were spared the indignity of
a vote on their dismissal -- at least for two weeks.

In the meantime, observers are left to debate whether parliament has
the right to dismiss ministers nominated to the cabinet by the
president. Foreign Minister Tarasyuk, for one, believes that it cannot,
since the constitution does not say anything about such a situation.

"The constitution, which was amended hastily [in 2004], does not
stipulate how these ministers [appointed by the president] can be
dismissed," he said. "There is a legal collision here, whether the
Verkhovna Rada can dismiss the two ministers without a presidential
request. I don't think it can, because there is the notion of analogy
in law: if the dismissal procedure is not defined while the appointment
procedure is, legal analogy must apply and the same procedure should be
used."

The debate on the two presidential ministers was just the latest clash
in the short but uneasy cohabitation of Yanukovych and President Viktor
Yushchenko -- two longtime political rivals who have reinvented their
relationship since Yanukovych became prime minister in early August.

Cracks began to show in September, when Yanukovych said in Brussels
that Ukraine would slow its pace toward NATO membership due to public
opposition. Yushchenko rebuked Yanukovych for impinging on the
president's constitutional right to shape the country's foreign policy.
Simultaneously, Yushchenko reminded Yanukovych that just one month
earlier both of them signed the so-called declaration of national
unity, in which they pledged to seek NATO membership as one of
Ukraine's key foreign-policy priorities.

Yanukovych, however, continued to assert his constitutionally
reinforced position by claiming more executive prerogatives. In
particular, he refused to implement several presidential decrees,
arguing that he did not co-sign them. Yanukovych also questioned in the
Constitutional Court the president's right to appoint regional
governors without consulting the government.

In October, the pro-presidential Our Ukraine party switched to the
opposition, constraining its four ministers in Yanukovych's cabinet to
tender their resignations. Then, at a congress last week, the
pro-presidential Our Ukraine party adopted a resolution obliging its
lawmakers to contest the validity of the 2004 constitutional reform.
The decision to question the reform before the Constitutional Court has
the potential to spark a serious constitutional crisis.

Ukrainian political analyst Oles Doniy, the head of the Kyiv-based
Center for Studies of Political Values, believes that Our Ukraine's
move was dictated by the party's intention to save itself from
political demise following its withdrawal from the government.

"I think this is a graphic example of how Our Ukraine is putting its
narrow, party interests above those of national and state ones," Doniy
says. "It considers a change of Ukraine's political system depending on
whether it is in power or not, thus threatening Ukraine's future in
general."

According to Doniy, the potential reversal of the constitutional reform
could have a disastrous impact on the stability of the political system
as a whole. Since the constitutional reform was adopted as a political
compromise to end a presidential-election standoff between Yushchenko
and Yanukovych, Doniy argues that questioning the constitutional reform
is tantamount to questioning Yushchenko's legitimacy as president.

"If we question the amendments to the constitution made in that period,
we will analogically have to question all the other things that took
place at that time," Doniy says. "No Ukrainian law provides for the
third round of a presidential election, but it did take place."

But Ihor Zhdanov, deputy head of Our Ukraine's Executive Committee,
says his party does not see any link between the constitutional reform
and Yushchenko's election. "The vote for the political reform and the
presidential vote in December 2004 were in no way interconnected, since
[the third presidential-election round] was legitimized by a ruling of
the Supreme Court of Ukraine, which passed it proceeding from the
evidence of a mass election fraud in the second round," he says.

Zhdanov argues that in adopting the constitutional reform, the
Verkhovna Rada grossly violated the procedure for constitutional
amendments by approving a version of the reform bill that was
essentially different from the one reviewed and endorsed by the
Constitutional Court.

So, if now the Constitutional Court heeds Our Ukraine's arguments and
rules that the constitutional reform was adopted unlawfully, would this
signal that Yushchenko will enjoy the same extensive powers as his
predecessor, Leonid Kuchma?

Doniy says that might not necessarily be the case. "There is a
collision here. Even if the authorities managed to pressure the
Constitutional Court into canceling the political reform, the
Constitutional Court's ruling would not automatically mean a change of
the constitution," he says. "It would be necessary to vote on
constitutional amendments again. At least, this is the opinion of those
lawyers who are not prone to official pressure."

But it also seems that apart from a headache for lawyers, the
controversy over the constitutional reform, if continued, might provoke
a major and protracted political upheaval in Ukraine.

Yanukovych said earlier last week that a reversal of the reform would
be illegal. Lawmaker Raisa Bohatyryova of the ruling Party of Regions
warned Our Ukraine against pursuing its intention of reversing the
reform, saying, "Do not stir bees in the hive if you don't know how to
gather honey."

It is telling that Yushchenko, who in 2005 repeatedly vowed to seek a
referendum to reverse the constitutional reform, has recently refrained
from asking for more powers and now talks about "improving" the
constitutional reform rather than annulling it.

Perhaps Yushchenko has realized that revoking the reform, which in
theory made Ukraine's political system more balanced and similar to
European-type democracies, would eliminate the only long-term
achievement of the Orange Revolution, on which millions of Ukrainians
pinned so many hopes and which they became disillusioned with so soon
afterward.